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Contact the magazine that posted a negative article about electric cars

Lbesser | 2013/07/07 - 14:21

The July 2013 issue of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) published at extremely negative article about EVs, without allowing a rebuttal (http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/electricskeptic0713). If you disagree with the author, contact the magazine’s Editor In Chief (Susan Hassler, s.hassler@ieee.org) to express your views. If you have some fact that supports your argument, it can even be more effective. Les BesserLbesser@ieee.org

Brian H | 2013/07/07 - 18:52

Actually, comments are active and allowed on the site.

bent | 2013/07/09 - 15:46

One of the author's main points seems to be that since we are in a fossil fuel based economy, everything we make must necessarily use lots of fossil fuels in its production, and therefore we should not be making electric cars. This raises the question of why we should be making anything at all in such an economy, but he does not address this.

Then he makes a point out of how some mining operations are managed in the most horrid manner causing all sorts of local misery around their region. This is indubitably true but it's not clear why this is a much greater concern for electric car manufacturing than it is for anything else we make.

Then he goes on a FUD-spreading trip about how horrible it would be if EV batteries were not properly recycled but instead introduced into the food supply. That section best ignored. (I will note though that ICE fumes are in part recycled through your lungs.)

The more interesting part of the article is where he refers to the National Academies study. I haven't read that but if it's anything like other life cycle studies it's going to be hampered by the twin effects of comparing EV life cycle to ICE life cycle and concluding that an EV will live for as long as an ICE does which is unlikely to be the case; and the rapid pace of innovation in EV drive train design and manufacturing: A study published in 2010 is likely to be rather outdated by now. As a concrete example he refers to the use of rare earths in EV motors, something which should not be much of an issue in Tesla vehicles. The study might still hold something of interest though, I should try to find the time to read it.